Hayden Congdon

POLSON — Polson High School’s golfers flexed their muscles on Tuesday, as both the girls and boys team came out of the Polson Invitational on top of the team standings.

The girls team finished with an overall score of 376, well ahead of second-place finishers Browning, which scored a 443. The boys tied with Hamilton for the team title with a score of 349.

It was a gratifying result for head coach Bill Owen, as both teams showed greater refinement in their skills during the match.

He was especially pleased with what he saw from the boys team.

“They’re improving,” Owen said. “Scores are coming down and I’m excited about that too. I’m at the point now where, if my boys will work at it and continue to improve, I think we can make some noise.”

A big help for the team has come from transfer student Alex Killian, who scored an impressive 88 on the day, good enough to tie for eighth place.

Since Killian’s arrival, Owen has developed a brighter outlook for a boys squad that previously lacked the depth to compete at the state level.

“I’m pretty excited about the boys team, because I have another player that I think is going to help us,” Owen said. “I think with him in the mix we’ve got a great chance to finish in the top two [at divisionals].”

Hayden Congdon continues to look strong this season, taking home the boys individual title with a score of 75.

Dalton Noyes also made a top 10 appearance, finishing in seventh place with an 87, while Curtis Capdeville scored a 102 on the day to round out the Pirates’ scorers.

Meanwhile, the Lady Pirates dominated the girls competition, placing all five of their players in the top 10 and sweeping the top three spots in the tournament.

Nicole Clairmont led the way with a score of 87, while Jaylin Kenney finished second with a 93 and Peyton Anderson came in third with a 95.

Anna DiGiallonardo claimed sixth place for the Lady Pirates after shooting a score of 101.

A pleasant sight so far this season for the Polson girls has been the progress of Lauren Dupuis, who finished tied for seventh with a 102, and Peyton Anderson, as both shot their lowest scores of the season on Tuesday.

“They just keep getting better and better,” Owen said. “I’m really pleased with the fact that these girls just continue to grow and keep getting better. I can say we’ll be in the mix at the end for some trophies.”

However, what captured Owen’s attention the most from his teams was how well they performed on a day when powerful winds swept through Polson Bay Golf Course.

“Those scores were impressive just because the conditions were harder than what we’ve been used to,” Owen said.

The winds may have been a blessing in disguise, though, according to Owen, as they might be something the players will encounter down the road.

“This was a great experience, because the state tournament course [Old Works Golf Course in Anaconda] is often real windy,” Owen said. “It was good conditioning for us, to battle that wind and still do pretty darn well.”

Despite these conditions, Owen said he did what he always does as a coach and didn’t try to get his players worked up about it or the tournament.

“I believe in alleviating pressure,” Owen said. “There’s enough of it anyways in this sport, and it’s not your friend in golf. So, I don’t try to build expectations, I just have them go out and play one shot at a time.”

Coming up for the Pirates will be the East Glacier junior varsity tournament on Aug. 24.

Despite its JV status, however, the tournament will play a vital role for the boys.

“I have kids on JV that could end up making varsity,” Owen said. “[The tournament] gives them a chance to prove themselves. I use it as a qualifying criterion.”